"Sharing my love for fitness with people in the corporate world will help them be more productive at work and in their personal lives. CrossFit is a way to release stress and help them work smarter.”
When Doug Horner joined CrossFit Fort Wayne he weighed 350 pounds. Now, almost a year later, the President of Medical Informatics Engineering (MIE) has changed his life.
“The ages of 20 to 40 pretty much involved me sitting in a chair,” the 40-year-old says. “I’d try to lose weight and wear a pedometer, and at the end of the day I’d look down and I’d done 50 steps the entire day — and most of the steps were on the way in or out, or to the fridge to grab food.”
Now, he’s down 138 pounds and looks like a well-aged athlete. CrossFit did more than transform his body; it also shifted his life balance. In the past, most of his waking hours were spent at work.
“There were days I’d wake up at 10 a.m. and not stop working till 2 a.m., fall asleep exhausted and wake up and start all over again,” he says. “From a work perspective, I got a lot done, but there were other things that suffered, like my family.”
Since he started CrossFit, he spends less time in the office and more time with his family.
“(Now), I work less in terms of hours, but the work I do is more productive,” he says. “I spend more time with my family, and (CrossFit) is the thing that motivates me to put down my work.”
Convinced CrossFit could help his employees, he brought anyone interested to CrossFit Fort Wayne. After talking with the owner of the affiliate, Andrew Walsh, a corporate wellness program was formed.
“Sharing my love for fitness with people in the corporate world will help them be more productive at work and in their personal lives,” Walsh, 35, says. “CrossFit is a way to release stress and help them work smarter.”
The deal was simple and cheap. If Horner footed the bill for showers at the box, Walsh would train his employees for free.
Although they call it a “corporate wellness program,” there’s no separate class for the MIE staff.
“I wanted them to be part of the community, not just MIE employees working out at CrossFit Fort Wayne,” Walsh says. “The camaraderie and the friendships you establish, that’s the special part of CrossFit. I wanted them to experience that.”
Around 20 of his 68 employees participate in the program.
Working 60 hours per week from her home office, Project Manager Angie Nichols rarely got to spend time with others. CrossFit has helped free her from her isolation and improved her leadership skills.
The program isn’t without kinks, however.
“The biggest challenge is commitment,” Walsh says. “Because there’s no financial commitment, there’s more turnover.”
Regardless, Horner is pleased with the results.
“The physical results are amazing,” he says. “A couple of developers were skin and bones and when they did their first squats they fell over. The body composition of everyone has changed in a big way.”
“I notice more confidence in some,” he continues. “Some of the developers are naturally inward people, and when exercise comes up they break out of their shell.”
For 20 years, Horner let his fitness slide. Now, he’s convinced fitness is a key part of living well.
“We’re working for a good quality of life,” Horner says. “If you don’t have that, what the hell are you working for?”
